Abstract

Background: Typhoid is a disease that still becomes a problem in the developing countries. Salmonella typhimurium is a facultative intracellular bacterium; therefore, the immunity system playing the role in this case is the cellular system.Merremia mammosa is a traditional medicinal plant containing many active compounds that may accelerate the function of lymphocyte proliferation and production of reactive oxygen intermediate (ROI) of the macrophage.
Objective: To prove the influence of Merremia mammosa extract on the increase of lymphocyte proliferation and macrophage ROI production of Balb/C mice infected by Salmonella typhimurium.
Method: This research was an experimental research using the post test only control group design on the experimental animals of Balb/C mice, consisting of 24 male mice, and divided into 4 groups. (C) was the control group infected by
Salmonella typhimurium, and the treatment groups (T1, T2, T3) were provided with Merremia mammosa extract with stepped dosages (0.32 mg, 1.6 mg, and 8 mg) for 13 days, infected by Salmonella typhimurium on the 6th day a much as
105. On the 14th day, splenocyte and peritoneal exudates cells (PEC) isolations were conducted continued with the observation of lymphocyte proliferation. The data were collected from the counting of relative amount of lymphoblast in every 200 cells in the homogenous areas; and for the observation of macrophage ROI production, the data were collected from the calculation of the percentage in every 50 macrophage cells and the degrees are determined.
Results: The average mass of the control spleen was heavier than that of the treatment groups (362.00 and 160.00) with (P = 0.000); the average amount of control lymphocyte was lower than that of the treatment groups (700.00 and
3,700.00) with (P = 0.000); the average relative amount of control lymphoblast was lower than that of the treatment groups (73.80 and 108.33) with (P = 0.000); meanwhile, the average of macrophage ROI production of the control was lower than that of the treatment groups (1.640 and 3.400) with (P = 0.005).
Conclusion: Merremia mammosa extract is able to increase the lymphocyte proliferation and macrophage ROI production significantly.
Keywords: lymphocyte proliferation, macrophage ROI production, Merremia mammosa, Salmonella typhimurium